On Christmas Day in Kazakhstan, a tragedy occurred that claimed the lives of 38 people. An Azerbaijan Airlines plane, flight number 8243, crashed during an emergency landing near the city of Aktau. Despite the quick intervention of rescue services,

Dozens of people have died after an Azerbaijan Airlines flight traveling from the Azerbaijani capital of Baku to Grozny in Russia crashed on Christmas Day 2024, according to reports.

Preliminary reports indicate that a Russian-operated missile shot down an Azerbaijan Airlines flight that crashed in Kazakhstan on Christmas Day, according to a U.S. official.

The Azerbaijan Airlines plane was heading from Azerbaijan to Grozny, Russia, when it was diverted and tried to make an emergency landing.

Officials have said more than three dozen people died from the crash, which saw the plane tear in half as it hit the ground in Kazakhstan while en route to Russia

Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev has accused Russia of accidentally shooting down an airliner on Christmas Day in a disaster that killed 38 people, and covering up the cause.